The three hours passed like broken glass dragging over bone.
Some slept. Some sat in silence. Others formed quick alliances — promises of trust built on nothing but fear.
Newton watched it all from the corner, a sleeping Lilly curled into his side. Fisher hadn't moved far, leaning back on the cold wall with a small grin and quiet eyes. He didn't talk much — another reason Newton allowed him to stay close.
> [Trial 2: Initiating in 60 seconds.]
[Safe Zone Access Locked.]
[Preparing Transfer to Room: Red Hunt.]
Everyone stirred.
Beth — the sharp-eyed girl who'd kept her attention locked on Newton since the spider kill — stood and stretched like a panther. Her eyes locked with his for a heartbeat before she smirked and turned away.
Li'la, the healer girl with soft brown eyes, walked past him and gave a small nod. Newton didn't respond.
Then—
> [Transfer: Commencing.]
Light exploded.
---
⚙️ Room: RED HUNT
When Newton's vision cleared, he was standing in a vast metal chamber, dimly lit by red spotlights overhead. The floor hummed. Thick black panels lined the walls, some of them twitching as if breathing.
Around him, the rest of the survivors blinked into place one by one.
Lilly appeared last, still asleep. Newton caught her.
> [Welcome to Trial 2: RED HUNT.]
Trial Objective: Eliminate Hidden Infiltrators Among You.]
Rules:
Some of you are infected.
Infected players will attack in 30 minutes.
You must identify and eliminate them before they do.
Secondary Objective: Survivors must protect all Level 0 dependents.
Dependents that die will reduce all uninfected stats by 10%.
Failure to act will result in Purge Protocol.
Gasps. Confusion.
"Wait—infected?!"
"What the hell is this?!"
People backed away from one another immediately, suspicion crackling like static.
Newton's hand moved to Lilly's shoulder. He shielded her unconsciously.
He already knew.
This trial wasn't about monsters.
It was about trust.
---
"Everyone shut up," barked a tall man with arms like tree trunks. His voice had gravel in it. "We need to form search squads. Look for signs of infection."
His name floated above his head:
KRAMEL – Strength 12 / Defense 9 / Charisma 3
Newton didn't speak. But he watched.
Kramel was already trying to take control. A tank-type, probably used to leading in chaos.
"Everyone form groups of three," Kramel ordered. "We'll search the room corner by corner."
Someone laughed.
"You think the infected will let you find them?"
The voice belonged to a guy with an easy smile and no visible weapon.
JUNO – Agility 8 / Luck 10 / Speech 7
"We don't even know what infection looks like. Could be in their eyes. Could be in their soul. Could be you."
Kramel's eyes narrowed. "You volunteering to go first, then?"
"No, no," Juno grinned. "Ladies first."
Beth stepped forward with a slow clap. "Wonderful. We've known each other for what, five hours? And already the testosterone's leaking out."
Her stat card flickered briefly:
BETH – Intelligence 11 / Stealth 9 / Knife Mastery: Intermediate
She didn't say anything more. Just pointed at Newton.
"What about him? The guy who killed a spider solo."
Everyone turned.
Newton's jaw clenched.
"I say we put the strongest ones in the middle, guarding the dependents," Beth continued. "Let the rest of us search and investigate."
"I say we test for signs of infection now," someone else said. A girl with a hood over her short silver hair. She looked young, maybe 15.
TERA – Perception 10 / Scouting Skill: Basic
She stood beside a guy who looked nearly identical, same eyes, same sharp cheekbones.
VEY – Attack Speed 9 / Weapon Control: Beginner
Twins. Quiet. Unassuming.
Deadly if ignored.
---
"I'll go with the mute," said another voice suddenly. Fisher.
He waved. "I trust him."
"You sure?" Kramel asked.
Fisher shrugged. "Not really. But if he kills me, at least I'll die smarter than the rest of you."
Newton said nothing.
But a whisper echoed in his mind:
> [Infection Algorithm Detected: 2 Entities Marked as Corrupted.]
[Ghost Class Passive Activated — Tracking Signals Hidden.]
Two of them.
But no names.
No locations.
No clues.
Just two time bombs.
And if Lilly died… everyone would suffer.
Newton stepped forward, just enough to draw eyes.
"We protect the kids," he said coldly. "Split in four groups. No one wanders alone."
Beth raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I thought you were the silent type."
"I speak when I need to."
She smiled. "Hot."
---
The groups were made.
Group A: Newton, Fisher, Lilly
Group B: Beth, Tera, Vey
Group C: Kramel, Juno, a quiet hacker girl named Nima (glasses, shaking hands)
Group D: Li'la, Skae (religious zealot), and a nervous boy called Yulo who kept muttering about views and followers
---
They split across the room.
The clock ticked.
> 00:29… 00:28… 00:27…
---
🔍 Newton's Group: Searching South Corridor
The lights buzzed overhead.
Fisher kept glancing around. He wasn't talking now — just observing.
Lilly was still drowsy, but stable. Newton carried her gently.
They passed a black wall panel that twitched slightly.
Fisher whispered, "Did that move?"
Newton nodded. "Alive."
They marked it mentally.
Moved on.
> [Warning: One Infected Now Active.]
He paused.
Just one?
That meant the second wasn't triggered… yet.
Which meant someone in the other groups would die first.
---
💥 GROUP C — Kramel, Juno, Nima
Screams tore through the far end of the room.
Newton and Fisher turned toward it instantly.
By the time they arrived, it was already too late.
Juno was pinned to the floor, his stomach ripped open, face twisted in pain.
Over him, something once called Nima crouched. Her eyes were pitch-black, her hands morphed into steel claws, body twitching with system glitches.
Kramel was swinging his hammer, too slow to hit her.
> [Infected Entity Identified.]
[Nima — ERROR: Type: Parasite Interface / Stage 1 Mutation]
Nima shrieked.
Then lunged at Kramel.
Newton didn't wait.
He passed Lilly into Fisher's arms and launched forward.
The scrap blade he carried flicked free — and struck low.
Straight through Nima's calf.
The infected girl screamed, spun around, swiped at him with razored claws.
Newton dropped under the strike.
Then activated it.
> [Silence Burst — Activated.]
For 3 seconds, her targeting system blinked out.
Just long enough.
He drove the blade into her throat.
> [Infected Eliminated.]
[Hidden Skill Progression: +0.2%]
Juno gasped beside her corpse, eyes wide with pain. His smile was gone.
"I… I saw her face change… before she jumped…"
Newton crouched. "What did she say?"
Juno coughed blood.
"She whispered… 'I'm sorry.'"
---
> [1 Infected Down. 1 Remaining.]
[Time Until Automatic Attack: 4 Minutes.]
They had four minutes.
Four minutes to find a second time bomb.
---
Back in the group circle, everyone gathered again — more tense now, more eyes darting.
Li'la was holding a glowing orb, healing Juno slowly.
Skae, the religious boy, was muttering prayers.
Beth stood close to Newton now. Too close.
"You really are good at killing," she whispered. "But are you good at guessing?"
"I don't guess," Newton said flatly.
Beth tapped his shoulder playfully. "Then figure out who the last one is."
---
> [Final Infected Activating in 60 seconds.]
Everyone turned inward.
Accusations flew.
"Vey's been quiet!"
"So has Skae!"
"No, it's Beth—she smiled when Juno got hurt!"
But Newton was already watching.
Not the loud ones.
The still ones.
The ones who didn't react.
---
Lilly tugged his sleeve.
"Big brother," she said softly. "That boy is shaking too much."
She pointed.
Yulo.
His hands were vibrating. His eyes wide.
Newton's eyes narrowed.
Too wide.
Not fear. Dislocation.
He moved fast.
One step. Two. Grabbed Yulo by the wrist.
The boy screamed.
His skin split.
Metal spines surged from his back.
---
> [Infected Fully Active.]
[ERROR: Mutation Level Rising.]
Too late for stealth.
Yulo exploded outward, voice shrieking with binary noise.
People scattered.
But Newton didn't flinch.
This time, he didn't even blink.
He struck hard, fast — three steps in, two cuts, one Silence Burst mid-combat.
Yulo fell in under ten seconds.
Dead.
> [Infected Eliminated.]
[Trial 2: Passed.]
---
⚠️ Trial 2 Complete
> Survivors: 44
Infection Neutralized: 2
Dependents Protected: 100%
Bonus Reward: Hidden Class User detected — Ghost Path Stability +3%
---
People stared at Newton again.
But this time, no one said anything.
Not even Beth.
Only Fisher muttered, "Well. Guess I'm betting on the right horse after all."
---
Newton didn't feel proud.
He felt tired.
And more than ever—
Alone.
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